CHAPTER 2

D. Let’s do some practice

Do you feel more confident in recognizing fake news? Let’s test your skills one more time!

case study no 1:

FAKE NEWS!

According to the World Health Organization,globally, about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far less than 1 percent of those infected.

https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—3-march-2020

WHO / WHY / WHAT

Political/economical purpose:

  • to comfort the public
  • to not affect tourism

RED FLAGS

  • no numbers / statistics / evidence
  • too generic 

“so far”, “all characteristics”, “far weaker”

case study no 2:

FAKE NEWS!

According to crithink.com no such announcement exists on the website of the Greek MFA, while the actual announcements regarding the border regime don’t mention specific municipalities. The alleged screenshot proved to be a photo-shopped image.

https://meta.mk/en/fake-news-about-greece-border-regime-used-for-inciting-ethnic-and-religions-tensions-in-north-macedonia/

WHO / WHY / WHAT

  • Right Wing political party
  • Referring to municipalities with high presence of ethnic Albanian or ethnic Roma population, who are mainly Muslim
  • no municipalities with majority ethnic Macedonian and Christian population involved (such as the municipality of Štip, which has  been identified as one of the hotpots of the COVID-19 epidemic) 

inflaming ethnic unrest

RED FLAGS

Indirect propaganda/false narrative (conspiracy theory): blaming only the members of particular ethnic or religious communities for the spread of COVID-19 disease.

case study no 3:

FAKE NEWS!

According to the United States Census Bureau this social media rumor incorrectly compared the number of registered voters in 2018 (data from the United States Census Bureau) to the number of votes cast in 2020.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wisconsin-more-votes-than-voters/

WHO / WHY / WHAT

political purpose (during the elections)

RED FLAGS

  • eye catching headlines (“BREAKING”,“fraud”)
  • unasserted source

We hope that you have reached a high score in this short quiz! In the end of the day…

“Just because you see something on the Internet with a quote, a picture and a date, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be true.”

Abraham Lincoln, 2006

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